Montana-Based Breweries Win Big at Garden City BrewFest 2026

Montana-Based Breweries Win Big at Garden City BrewFest 2026

The Zoo City Zymurgists, a local organization of fermented beverage enthusiasts, partnered with the Downtown Missoula Partnership once again to judge the beverage selection at the 32nd annual Garden City BrewFest at Caras Park on Saturday, May 2. All event winners were breweries and beverage artisans based in Montana, showcasing the high-quality and expertly crafted beverage producers the state has to offer.

The Zoo City Zymurgists have been a part of Garden City BrewFest since the early 2000s, when the event, formerly known as BRIW Fest, was gifted to the Downtown Missoula Partnership. Every year, the Zymurgists create specialty judging categories based on the beverage lineup of more than 60 beers, ciders, seltzers, and other beverages featured at the event. More than 20 Zymurgists participate in the judging, scoring beverages based on color, quality, tasting notes, consistency, and overall experience.

This year’s Garden City BrewFest beer and beverage lineup was curated through a combination of distributors, including Zip Beverage and Summit Beverage, along with several independent breweries participating in the event. This included Cranky Sam Brewing, which featured four taps at BrewFest and served as the title sponsor for the event this year. Trends for this year’s beverage lineup intentionally captured the essence of spring, with multiple fruit and herbal flavors like huckleberry, citrus, and jasmine.

“We love the unique aspect of having the Zoo City Zymurgists at Garden City BrewFest. They provide a higher level of legitimacy to this longstanding event while also creating some healthy competition for breweries, encouraging them to bring the best of the best beverages to the festival,” said Jake Treece, director of Garden City BrewFest. “Having the Zymurgists at the event reinforces that Garden City BrewFest, along with its sister event Winter BrewFest, is serious about showcasing high-quality, Montana-based craft beverages.”

Below is the full lineup of category winners:

• Best Lager: Sacred Waters Brewing Co. (Kalispell) — “Snow Dust Rice Lager”
• Best Specialty Lager: Bridger Brewing (Bozeman) — “Pacific West Coast Lager”
• Best Pale Ale: KettleHouse Brewing Co. (Missoula) — “SuperTag Citra Pale Ale”
• Best Hazy IPA: Mountains Walking Brewery (Bozeman) — “Grazing Clouds”
• Best IPA: Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. (Helena) — “Juicy Obsession”
• Best Dark Ale: Old Bull Brewing (Frenchtown) — “Mrs. Scotch Wee Heavy”
• Best Sour: Thirsty Street Brewing Co. (Billings) — “Lemon Drop Sour”
• Best Fruited Beer: Big Sky Brewing Co. (Missoula) — “Huck It”
• Best Fruited Wheat: Highlander Beer (Missoula) — “Huckleberry Wheat”
• Best Cider: Last Chance Cider Mill (Billings) — “Full MT”
• Best Cocktail/Seltzer: Bias Brewing (Kalispell) — “Huckleberry Hard Lemonade”
• Best Kombucha: Back to the Mother Kombucha (Missoula) — “Lion’s Mane Lemon Cayenne”
• Best Title Sponsor: Cranky Sam Public House & Brewery (Missoula)
• Runner-Up Best of Fest: Old Bull Brewing (Frenchtown) — “Mrs. Scotch Wee Heavy”
• Best of Fest: Bridger Brewing (Bozeman) — “Pacific West Coast Lager”

For more information about the winners and Garden City BrewFest, contact the Downtown Missoula Partnership office at [email protected] or call 406-543-4238.